At TPG, we attempt to cross off just a few locations from our journey want listing yearly. Nevertheless, discovering essentially the most economical option to get there and again is difficult. Though many TPG readers and staffers use bank card rewards for flight bookings, you could be not sure in the event you’re getting one of the best deal out of your rewards.
To handle this, we made it a New 12 months’s decision to assist our readers perceive the way to maximize their factors and miles. You’ll be able to decrease your journey bills and discover extra locations through the use of your rewards extra effectively.
Listed here are 5 straightforward tricks to maximize your journey rewards in 2025.
Associated: How to decide on your finest bank card technique
Redeem Chase factors for Hyatt stays
There are various methods you may redeem Chase Final Rewards factors for motels, experiences and sporting occasions to assist cut back the price of your trip.
For instance, you should use Chase Final Rewards factors to guide a Hyatt keep by transferring them to World of Hyatt. You may also switch Chase Final Rewards factors to IHG One Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy, however Hyatt factors are price considerably extra in TPG’s December 2024 valuations.
For instance, 21,000 World of Hyatt factors are sufficient for the standard free night time on an off-peak date at a Class 6 property just like the Nice Scotland Yard Lodge or the Park Hyatt Chicago. Redeeming these factors might get you right into a room that will in any other case price greater than $500 per night time on most dates. World of Hyatt provides all members waived resort charges on award stays, which might add to the financial savings.
Associated: The very best Hyatt motels on this planet
Listed here are a number of the finest playing cards to earn Final Rewards factors:
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- Chase Sapphire Most popular® Card: Earn 60,000 Final Rewards factors after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Earn 60,000 bonus factors after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
- Ink Enterprise Most popular® Credit score Card: Earn 90,000 bonus factors after you spend $8,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
- Ink Enterprise Money® Credit score Card: Earn $350 while you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first three months your account is open; plus, earn a further $400 while you spend $6,000 on purchases within the first six months after account opening.
- Ink Enterprise Limitless® Credit score Card: Earn a $750 money again bonus after you spend $6,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
- Chase Freedom Flex®: Earn a $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases in your first three months from account opening.
- Chase Freedom Limitless®: Earn an additional 1.5% on every little thing you purchase (on as much as $20,000 spent within the first yr). That is price as much as $300 money again.
The primary three playing cards earn totally transferable Final Rewards factors, whereas the remaining 4 are technically billed as cash-back bank cards.
Nevertheless, in the event you even have an Final Rewards points-earning card, you may convert your Chase cash-back rewards to Final Rewards factors. For that reason, having a couple of Chase card within the household could make sense to maximise your incomes and redeeming potential.
Discover ways to switch bank card rewards
You would possibly think about using your Chase Final Rewards factors to guide journey straight within the Chase Journey℠ portal, however let us take a look at what which means for a one-way flight from Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) to Heathrow Airport (LHR) subsequent summer season.
I picked a nonstop pattern United Airways flight that will price $1,128 in common economic system class if I booked by means of Chase Journey.
In case you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you may redeem Chase Final Rewards factors for journey by means of the portal at 1.5 cents apiece. So, this flight would require 75,200 Final Rewards factors when you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve and redeem for this flight by means of Chase’s journey portal. Should you had the Chase Sapphire Most popular, your Final Rewards factors are price a barely decrease 1.25 cents every when redeemed by means of Chase Journey, so that you would wish 90,240 Final Rewards factors.
Alternatively, you may guide this flight in common economic system for 40,000 MileagePlus miles and simply $5.60 in taxes and costs. Bear in mind, you may switch Chase Final Rewards factors to United MileagePlus at 1:1.
While you switch bank card rewards to a loyalty program, you often will not earn frequent flyer miles in your ticket (which you usually would accrue when reserving by means of the Final Rewards journey portal). Nevertheless, you may probably come out effectively in entrance in the event you save tens of hundreds of bank card factors by transferring them to a associate airline program reasonably than redeeming them by means of a bank card journey portal.
Test award charges with switch companions earlier than redeeming rewards by means of your bank card issuer’s journey portal. Transferring rewards to guide award flights or stays might make sense when paid charges are excessive (like on peak summer season dates) or award charges are low.
Associated: How (and why) it is best to earn transferable factors
Observe your factors and miles
Utilizing your factors and miles correctly is troublesome in the event you do not monitor them precisely. Fortunately, there are various methods to monitor your factors and miles.
Many people used to trace our rewards manually in a Phrase or Excel doc, however this was time-consuming and cumbersome to maintain updated. So, you would possibly need to use an automatic instrument. One possibility is the TPG App, which retains monitor of all of your balances in the identical place, robotically calculates their worth and offers you a heads-up when they may expire.
The TPG App provides you a snapshot of your present scenario and may also help inform your journey plans. While you log in, you may see the place you’ve gotten essentially the most rewards with the accounts you have synced (and the worth utilizing TPG’s month-to-month factors and miles valuations).
Associated: The way to preserve your factors and miles from expiring
Join all loyalty packages
Many individuals fail to join each loyalty program as a result of they suppose they will by no means actually fly JetBlue or keep at a Hilton. However that mindset has price vacationers hundreds of thousands of factors and miles.
Even in the event you aren’t loyal to 1 airline or lodge chain, signing up for this system while you fly or keep means including extra rewards to your stability everytime you use this system once more. You would possibly even get further perks, corresponding to free Wi-Fi throughout your lodge keep, only for being a member.
Whilst you won’t need to be a part of each program now, contemplate guaranteeing you’ve gotten a loyalty quantity listed on each flight you’re taking. Doing so will construct up rewards in numerous packages that might finally get you a free journey.
Associated: These airline and lodge packages provide free factors while you enroll
Use on-line purchasing portals to stack award factors
You might earn extra rewards on purchases for your self or family members this vacation season by means of a purchasing portal. These portals are basically on-line purchasing malls that associate with hundreds of retailers. By beginning on the portal reasonably than going on to the retailer’s website, you may earn bonus factors or miles on hundreds of things.
For instance, let’s assume you need to purchase a switch or tour by means of Viator. Should you go on to the Viator web site, you may solely earn rewards on your bank card buy. Should you as a substitute click on by means of the AAdvantage purchasing portal, for instance, earlier than making your buy, you would snag further rewards.
Must you favor incomes money again as a substitute of factors and miles, you may discover on-line purchasing portals like Rakuten and TopCashback. We advocate utilizing a purchasing portal aggregator every time you make an internet buy to seek out this system that gives one of the best return on your service provider.
Associated: The rookies information to airline purchasing portals
Backside line
With the beginning of a brand new yr, there are quite a few potentialities to switch your technique for incomes and redeeming factors and miles.
Following a easy technique, corresponding to guaranteeing you’ve gotten a frequent flyer quantity related to each flight you’re taking, can considerably reward you.
We’re already dreaming of our subsequent journey utilizing factors and miles.
